Portal Wars
by Elf Knight
Summary: Tyler is just another fanboy of Ranger's Apprentice until he appears in Araluen during a pitched battle between forces of good and evil. Can Tyler shut down the mysterious Black Portal in time to save the day? He better or Alyss will be furious with him!
1. Chapter 1: Translation

**Chapter One: **Translation

"Tyler Owens?" My mom called from downstairs. "Get your lazy bum down here right now!

"Coming mom!"

Heaving a sigh, I carefully inserted my reminder card in between the pages of the novel I had been reading: _The Ruins of Gorlon_ by the amazing author John Flanagan. I owned the entire series and knew all the important characters by heart. I could even tell you about the unimportant ones that only appeared for a page or so. The _Ranger's Apprentice_ series was my all-time favourite and I loved it. For some reason, I couldn't put the books down and had to read and reread the series all the time.

Sadly, mundane, every-day-life interfered with my escape from reality so it was with great reluctance that I set the book down on the small table beside my bed. My head was aching from reading so much and I hadn't had my afternoon coffee yet. If my mom had her way, I wouldn't be drinking the stuff at all but my dad didn't care. I was sixteen after all so he let me. He didn't like the fact that it was because all true Rangers loved coffee but who was he to stop me? I jotted down a note in my mental notepad to make a mug of that soon. I just had fifty-three words to read and I was done the tenth chapter.

In a matter of minutes, I left the room behind and padded softly and swiftly down the stairs. I slunk behind the banister like a wraith attempting to hide in the shadows like a Ranger. My older brother always scoffed at my training claiming it was a waste of time. Somehow, I didn't think so! Ignoring the messy living room I headed to the front door only a few feet away from the stairs to my room. The door was already open and a man of medium height was standing in front of me. He had a finely trimmed but rather long beard like Merlin or Gandalf the White but wore normal clothes which comprised of a grey and blue inform. A cap kind of like those ones cops wore was on his head. A pair of sharp blue eyes stared out at me from underneath two bushy eyebrows.

A package was tucked under his arm and he held a long, rectangular notebook in his arm opened to a page in the middle. It looked like some kind of checklist was scrawled on there. But either the handwriting was too messy or in another language since I couldn't understand a word of it.

"Are you Tyler Owens?" He asked not unkindly.

I had no idea who this man was so I was naturally a little on the suspicious side.

"Yes," I answered warily.

"If you'll sign right here then you'll get the prize you won for the Ranger's Apprentice Online Competition," The man replied with a smile.

Oh that! I had completely forgotten about it but some fan site offered a Ranger's Apprentice contest with prizes of all kinds. I filled in the questions they asked because I wanted something to do and thought nothing of winning. I had completely forgotten about it until now.

"Uh, sure!" I said.

I took the pen he offered me and scribbled my named into the blank square at the bottom of the column. The man watched me all the while making me feel uneasy as I gave him back the pen and accepted the package from him.

"Um, thanks, I guess," I told him.

"Don't thank me yet!" The man shot back with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "You don't know what you're in for!"

With that, he turned around and left tucking the notebook under his arm and the pen in his ear muttering something about young people.

"What did he want?" My mom asked, sauntering back in the room with a bored expression.

"Nothing," I muttered.

I turned back to the street in front of our house one last time but the man had vanished. Feeling bewildered and uncertain for a reason I couldn't quite describe, I hiked up the steps back to my room to see what my prize was. All the while, the man's words played over and over again in my mind.

Once I arrived there, I shut the door behind me and locked it putting the 'do not disturb' sign outside. Holding the package in my hands I studied the name on the box to see if there were any hints about its contents. No such luck! Muttering under my breath, I sank into my armchair and began tearing away at the green and brown wrapping.

Finally, a cardboard box appeared from underneath its camouflage. Ignoring the pent-up frustration, I opened the box and stared down in disappointment. All the prize box contained was as stupid panpipe and something that looked like the handle of a flashlight but with a few extra buttons on it. There was a piece of paper in it too. Gritting my teeth, I picked up the flashlight handle and studied it.

The thing was five inches long and three inches across. In the middle of the front side there were several different buttons all with different letters on it in a strange language. They looked kind of like runes from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth which I found very strange. I picked up the odd contraption and pressed a button experimentally. All of a sudden, a thin and piercing-sharp blade shot out from the top of it giving it the appearance of a Samurai sword. Yelping with fright, I dropped the thing and just sat there in shock and surprise. Naturally, my first feelings were of alarm but then of awe and wonder.

I snatched it up again and pressed all the other buttons. To my surprise, the thing changed as everyone was pressed to become a new and different weapon. One was a sword handle with two blades. Another was a claymore. Another was a typical long-sword. Another was a longbow often spoken of in _Ranger's Apprentice_ and there were many more even a battle axe. I could not believe my eyes. Finally, I found the 'switch off' button and it returned to its normal shape and size.

Forcing myself to breath normally, I held the contraption in one hand and picked up the flute in the other. It looked like your typical, authentic panpipe made from teak wood with a row of flutes ranging from tallest to shortest in a downwards slant. If the flashlight thing could do so many wonders, I found myself wondering what the panpipe could do. Holding the panpipe with two hands while still holding the weird but cool contraption, I pressed the panpipe to my lips and began to play. Instantly, a soft melodious sound appeared

Oddly enough, it didn't seem to come from the panpipe itself but from somewhere else. Feeling slightly scared but nonetheless intrigued, I continued playing and closed my eyes to 'feel' the music. Strangely enough, a soft, warm glow began to creep over me and I cracked my eyelids open to see what was going on. I froze in astonishment but the flute kept on playing, for my surroundings were changing. The walls, floor, and ceiling of my messy room were fading away like old, dry skin peeling back and being cast aside. A foggy, eerie mist took its place blanketing the entire room in a soft, wintery feel.

No words could tell how surprised, shocked, scared, and excited I was when the mist parted to reveal a dark and stormy sky. Rain lashed the earth and lightning stabbed the grass bellow. Off in the distance thunder rumbled. The panpipe kept on playing heedless to the mass chaos going on bellow. My mind reeled as I realized what was going on – It was a battle scene!

There was a valley down bellow snuggled in between a thick forest of evergreens and backed behind me by grey, rugged mountains. In the valley I could see grey things moving about and clashes of colour mostly red. The figures, I realized, were people. At an agonizing slow pace, I began floating downwards to the rain-soaked valley. As I neared it, it became plainly obvious that a pitched battle more like a melee was taking place. Two main armies were fighting against each other like something out of a _Braveheart_ movie. It was havoc that made my stomach turn upside down!

Gradually, I stopped floating from a distance far enough so that the people bellow couldn't see me but that I could see them. One army was made up of humans with a large number of them on horses. There were all sorts of soldiers but most were fighting with swords or pikes. Archers were too the back constantly cutting down wave after wave of opposition. Luckily for me, I was above the line of fire. After a time of deafening warfare, the fighting ground to a halt and the other army made up of sickening things that looked like Orcs or something ceased their charge from the grey mountains. The army began to divide in two halves and a path was formed. A group of human-looking soldiers made their way through the parting.

"Come face me Duncan!" A voice cried. "Or are you too cowardly to do so?"

The voice, I realized, came from a man in the middle of the group that had stepped forward. There was a short while of silence that left my mind racing. That name sounded so familiar! Where had I heard it? _Duncan. Duncan. Duncan._ Duncan? King Duncan? The King Duncan from _Ranger's Apprentice_? No! That couldn't be. There were no goblins in Araluen. There were Wargals and Karkara but those were different.

"I thought so, bastard!" The same voice bellowed. "You are too cowardly to even fight with your army let alone face your archenemy head on. You – "

A lone arrow shot out from somewhere in the front landing smack in between the man's legs. The human army burst into laughter and I chuckled a bit as I imagined the look of shock and arrogance on the man's face. He clearly wasn't a pleasant character.

"You have no right to demand my presence, Mortimer," A deep voice boomed across the battle field.

I found myself wondering how these guys could talk so loud. And who was Mortimer? I never heard of him in _Ranger's Apprentice_, if this was even the world of Araluen at all! What in the world was going on here?

"What are you talking about?" Mortimer growled. "I have every right..."

"You have no right at all!" The previous voice assumingly belonging to Duncan roared in anger. "You lost that right thirty years ago when you betrayed your king and country. Now the fate of Araluen hangs in the balance for your misdeeds. Why, Mortimer, why? Why did you betray me when I valued your advice more than anyone?"

My heart beat faster and faster. So this _was_ the world of _Ranger's Apprentice_ and I was in Araluen! But how could that be? I lived in Exeter in the UK and magic like this didn't exist. Was I dreaming? No. It was far too real to be a dream. I could feel the rain pounding on my skin and see the lightning lashing past me. Far too real indeed!

"Well you didn't value it enough!" Mortimer howled.

So saying, he charged catching Duncan off guard. The two fought like madmen for what seemed like an eternity as the two armies remained frozen, watching and waiting with bated breath. Time seemed to slow. All of a sudden, one of them slipped and the other gave a fierce cry of triumph. He planted his foot on the fallen man's chest and I could tell by his obvious proud bearing that it was this Mortimer person. He lifted something that was probably a sword into the air.

"You see Araluen?" He cried. "This is what happens when you rob Mortimer of what is rightfully his, of his inheritance."

The human army and myself watched in sheer horror as Mortimer slashed his sword downwards for the killing blow. He never finished it. Seconds later, a terrific bang rocked the valley causing many a soldier and creature to cry out in terror. All eyes turned upwards as a brilliant, white light lit up the sky. Everything that happened next flashed by so fast. It was unreal. One moment I was still hanging in limbo and the next I was zooming down faster than the speed of light. There was a noise like a thunder clap as I collided with Mortimer who stood above Duncan, mouth agape.

Something moved within me, propelling me into action and I clicked a random button on the flashlight contraption still in my hand. In a blinding flourish of speed and motion, I lashed out, and in one clean slice, lopped off Mortimer's head. Fresh blood splashed everywhere but I didn't care. I was too stunned to think! Somehow, I found myself holding the sword pointed outwards and a voice not of my own burst forth from my lungs.

"You see, Nightlings?" I bellowed. "You see? This is what happens to a traitor of Araluen! Surrender now or suffer the same fate!"

A few of the creatures who were supposedly Nightlings fell to their knees but most did the only natural thing an opposing army would do – they ran. They ran like the wind back to the grey mountains even as the last raindrop hit the earth. The last of the panpipe's music lingered in my ears as the cheering began. Yet none of that had any effect on me as surprise and culture shock kicked in. I promptly fainted but not before the words of that old delivery man sprung to mind.

"_Don't thank me yet!" He had said with an almost crafty smile. "You don't know what you're in for!"_

Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2: Darkness

**Author's Note:** Sorry for this but it's necessary! First off, I apologize for not mentioning this before but I don't own Ranger's Apprentice or any of the characters and places therein. However, I do own ones of my invention like Tyler, Mortimer, and the Nightlings along with any addition people, creatures, places, and things. Now I have an announcement to make. At first, this story was going to be a lot lighter and more humorous like the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.

Unfortunately, the story has a mind of its own and some things have changed that I wasn't going to include. It will still be lighter than a lot of fanfics out there but not as light as it was going to be. After all, when Araluen is at war – life can't be all butterflies and rainbows, can it? So now without any more to say and without any further ado allow me to present to you the next episode of Portal Wars!

P.S. The fact that I don't own Ranger's Apprentice and all that goes for the rest of the chapters too. I know that's being darn lazy but I don't have the time and can't be bothered with posting the disclaimer. If you don't know that I don't own them then you sure need to get a reality check! All due praise, honour, and worship goes to Saint John Flanagan for creating the fantastical, sheer awesome world of Ranger's Apprentice.

*bows before Saint John Flanagan*

And now – on to Chapter 2...

**Chapter Two:** Darkness

_All he sees is a swirling, overpowering darkness. _

_Then it begins to fade revealing a gapping void. He sees it out of the corner of his eye. A whirlwind of raw power moves constantly in the middle of it. _

_Like a giant pillar comprised of living, thriving organisms, the object looms above him._

_It pierces the pitch black sky devoid of any twinkling stars and winking moon._

_Gradually, he comes to his senses at the nearing sound of tramping feet. Panic grips him, launching him into a sitting position._

_Pain lances up his back and he screams. _

_He is yanked back down into a horizontal position onto the ground beneath him, whatever it is made of, by an incredible agony. _

_Never before had he hurt so bad all over the place and for seemingly no reason. _

_Then he remembers why – the Black Portal. _

_It is that thing to his right, a seething, foaming mass of might towering above him._

_Lightning flashes constantly around it and powerful claps of thunder rumble in response. _

_Something approaches._

_He turns his head to the side in hopes of catching a glimpse of who it is._

_No such luck. _

_All he sees is a thick darkness broken only by the occasional swirl of an eerie mist. He clenches his jaw in frustration._

_What curse moved him to this state? _

_Why does he have to suffer so? _

_Suddenly, voices float towards him from the same direction of the tramping. The voices take on form as a ripple of murmuring whispers. Along with the voices come a warning._

_Danger!_

_Death!  
_

_Foes!_

_Arise! Awake! Flee!_

_But he can't escape._

_He is trapped here, wasted. Alone in the dark. His breathing slows and his eyelids droop._

_Just as he is about to fall asleep never to awaken again, he feels a presence near him. He forces his aching head to turn again.  
_

_His heart skips a beat as row upon row of dark, scaled feet march past him into the night. _

_Danger!_

_Death!  
_

_Foes!_

_Arise! Awake! Flee!_

_The voices are heavily lathered with a harsh patronizing feel. They mock him. They scorn him. An evil lingers there, blatantly scoffing at his unseemly fate. _

_With a start, he realizes where they are going and terror takes him. _

_The throng of marching feet are heading to the Black Portal which leads directly into the heart of Araluen. More troops are about to flood into the kingdom and wreck havoc while the general populous celebrates their victory over Mortimer and his troops. _

_Will Treaty knows he has to stop them. _

_But how?_

Far, far away from the Black Portal deep in the hovels of the Netherworld, a different scene is unfolding.

Darkness thrives here in the Death Pit where all the souls of those who die dwell, in the Netherworld anyway. It is a titanic hole far bigger than anything anyone has seen before.

A wretched, rugged landscape surrounds the Pit. Fire, dust, and ash mar the environment making it impossible for any human or Nightling to survive there.

Deep in the bottom of the Pit, one soul in particular writhers in excruciating pain: Mortimer.

The traitor has no bodily form.

He is only a wisp of a soul like a faint, lingering trail of smoke after a burning torch has been whipped through the air.

It doesn't matter though.

If he were a human, the pain would be ten times worse. Mortimer grimaced as only a soul of the dead can. No. Make that twenty times!

His torture was interrupted, briefly, as a familiar presence filled the room.

_Master?_ Mortimer whispered.

Truth be told, it was only a thought (if it could be called even that) as Mortimer, nor any soul, could speak aloud save through a Host. Of course, none existed here in the Netherworld.

_It is I,_ A deep, booming voice replied. _Tell me, one who would be as my son, how have you ended up here? The Stars did not foretell of your coming. You were to conquer Araluen. You were to become supreme! Why?_

Mortimer shuddered at the anger in his Master's voice.

_Forgive me, Master,_ He said. _You are right as you have said. It is only because of a foreigner that I Fell. _

_One of the Outworlders made you Fall?_ The Master bellowed.

His furious wrath caused the walls of the Pit to shake and the floors to tremble. The souls of the dead screamed anew as a cold fear gripped them. They knew what it was like when the Master was angry.

_Please Master, forgive me for failing you!_ Mortimer wailed in an attempt to make the rage cease.

The sound of methodical even breathes emanated throughout the Pit as the Master calmed himself. It was similar to the sound of a steady heartbeat.

_No!_ The Master said, his voice buoyant with gleeful joy. _No, you did not fail me for now I can unleash such chaos that not even the Ancient Ones could have foreseen. _

_How, Master?_ Mortimer begged, eager for any way to appease his liege lord.

_Listen closely, Mortimer, he would become as my son,_ The Master said contentedly. _For you must carry out this next plan to its zenith. _

_Yes Master!_ Mortimer said, his confidence failing.

Hours later, even as Will was barely recovering, a dragon's roar shook the plains of the Netherworld even as it would shake the very foundations of the universe.

**Cliff-hanger! *gives an evil cackle* LOL! Sorry guys but I couldn't help it. Also, I apologize if this last part seems too much like Episode 1 "Baneling" from the TV Series called "Legend of the Seeker" but I was kind of inspired by it. Just to clear some things up, you can picture the Black Portal similar to the one in Tron: Legacy or like that pillar of greenish light that shot up to the sky in the Lord of the Rings movie during the assault on Minas Tirith. Or it could be Gondor. I'm not sure. Can't believe I forgot! Anyhow, that's all for today. This is just a filler chapter but an important one too. We'll get back to Tyler's adventures soon enough and you'll all get a decent explanation as to why Will is where he is and how he is. Hope you liked it! **


	3. Chapter 3: Counsel

**Author's Note:** First of all, I don't own _Ranger's Apprentice_ nor anything that has to do with it. Next, I am horribly sorry for vanishing off the face of RA fanfiction more or less. Let's just say that I ran into a titanic Writer's Block so it basically ground to a halt. However, I now have several new ideas for this story so hopefully it should return to its former glory once again. I'm also playing the awesome RPG computer game – Elder Scrolls: Oblivion – so you guys might not see me for a short while. Anyhow, here is the next chapter and there is almost certainly more to come. I hope you like it!

* * *

**Chapter 3:** Counsel

(Tyler's Point of View)

* * *

I awoke feeling refreshed and renewed.

It felt like I had slept for three months straight and was all the better for it. I was just beginning to wonder why I hadn't done this before, but my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to study my surroundings to take stock of things.

I was lying on a simple but comfortable sleeping cot with a white blanket pulled over me and a fluffy pillow under my head. Even though it was easily high noon, the air was cold around me but pleasantly so like those times when you feel all snug, warm, and cosy at Christmas.

However, it definitely was _not_ Christmas and was not even snowing. I sat up straight and stretched, yawning, as I gazed about me trying to find out where I was and why.

The last thing I remembered was stepping into a movie or something suspiciously like it. I had just saved the day from the evil armies of darkness and now I was in the middle of nowhere! Where, not nowhere exactly: My cot was located on a rugged cliff over-looking a picturesque beach.

Blue-green waves complete with ocean spray rolled onto a beach of silver white sands. The beach was long and narrow rather and stretched on for miles in each direction. The cliff I sat on was a part of a high-rise of earth, kind of like foothills or a miniature mountain.

A cool, windy sea breeze brushed past me in a playful way and I felt more alive and happy than ever before. I wondered why I could possibly feel this way when I had just witnessed a pitched battle along with scenes of blood-curdling carnage and death not more than minutes before.

Or was it hours, days, weeks? I did not know. Nor could I tell. This beach-side cliff was just shrouded by a soft and tranquil state of timeless perfection. It was like time didn't exist here and I could live an eternity only to wake up and find out that only five seconds had passed.

My older brother, being a scientific nerd, had said that there was a slim chance of such a thing being possible. He said that there was something called time and space and together they made _space time._

Then there were these weird things called cracks in time or certain particles in space that were _outside_ of space time. Theoretically speaking, this would be possible only within said particles. Sadly, no one had discovered them as of yet.

Thus, I had no idea how on earth this would be possible but I didn't want to find out lest I wake up and discover that this was all just a dream. This was too good to be true – my daydreams turned into reality – that I never wanted it to end. I wanted to waste away in this tranquil world of bliss and ease until I was an old and decrepit man.

But first things first! I had to find out where I was and who had brought me here or, more importantly, _why_ so that I could figure out how to move on and, escape, if necessary. Heaving a sigh, I shook my head and stood up, enjoying the feeling of the squashy gravel and sand between my toes.

Thin blades of lush green grass poke up amongst the minerals as if trying to say that they had a say in how the universe ran too. I chuckled at the mental image and looked around, stretching my hands behind my head. It was then that I noticed I was not alone. At first, panic flared within me when I sensed a presence.

But then a wave of relief washed over me when I saw that it was just an old man sitting beside a small campfire. A thin trail of wispy grey smoke rose up into the air whilst a fire crackled merrily beneath a spit of roasting fish. Some bread sat on a wooden plate along with a few mugs of some kind of liquid, hopefully water as I was feeling oddly thirsty.

I studied the man, hoping he hadn't seen me in case he wasn't of the best sort of people. To my stunned surprise, I realised that it was the same man who had delivered my _Ranger's Apprentice_ prize and brought me to the fantastic, albeit war-torn, world of Araluen.

_No way!_ I thought in shock. _It couldn't be._

And yet it was.

He was sitting there, on a log, whistling a merry tune while staring thoughtfully off into the distance. His blue eyes twinkled madly and his silvery beard and hair looked snow-white like he had just come out from an Alaska avalanche or something. But instead of his delivery uniform, he wore robes of dark purple like a wizard or something and a gnarled, oaken staff sat at his side.

Who in blue blazes was this man?

"I could ask the same about you!" Came an unexpected statement.

I jumped, startled, and bit the inside of my cheek to stifle a yelp. There was no way I would act like a nerdy, High School retard in front of this freak. He was way too bothersome and annoying for that!

"Who are you?" I demanded, placing my hands on my hips and giving him my death glare. "And what do you want? Did you bring me here? If so, why? What is this place? What do I have to do with the world of _Ranger's Apprentice_? Who is Mortimer? Who are the Nightlings? And why are a bunch of freakish orcs attacking a world that doesn't even have magic for God's sake?"

When I paused to catch my breath, the old man just laughed infuriatingly. He was obviously not offended in the least.

"First of all," He said in an amused voice. "No god has anything to do with this. If they did, a lot more chaos would be involved in this believe you me!"

"Gods?" I asked sharply, instantly regretting my outburst.

Either I had totally cracked or this man was a raving nutcase. Somehow, I preferred the latter desperately hoping none of this was real and it was all just a bad thing. No matter how far out it would be to live in the world of RA, this was just getting way too out of hand!

"Aye," The man replied casually, as if he was well-used to answering such questions. "But unless you want to get into a religious debate, I suggest you shut up and listen to my introduction speech. It's mandatory for newbies."

"Oh, um, right," I said unintelligently.

"But where are my manners?" The man asked exasperatedly. "Please, have a seat."

Hesitantly, I did so and made myself as comfortable as possible on a nearby log and scooted it closer to the fire where the man was cooking fish. The smell was somehow intoxicating and my stomach rumbled in agreement.

"Hungry?" The man asked, cocking his head inquisitively.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak lest I offend him and he unleash some heinous curse of darkness against me or some such thing. The man grinned and flicked his fingers. Instantly, one of the roasting fish vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared on one of the wooden plates.

The old man made some peculiar motion with his fingers, kind of like jutting them towards the plate and then in my direction. Seconds later, the plate floated up into the air and settled onto my lap. I just stared, completely stumped and gobsmacked at this little piece of magic I had just witnessed. This guy obviously was not one to mess with, that's for sure!

"Good," The man yawned. "Now that we're ready you may ask whatever questions are on your heart but all in order and don't be hasty. Got that?"

I nodded, in between a mouth-full of some kind of fish and was surprised at how _good_ it tasted. I was famous for hating each and every kind of fish. Swallowing down a bight of the stuff, I chose the first and most important question.

"Okay then," I said, spearing another piece of fish with my fork. "Who are you?"

The man chuckled and his eyes took on a faraway look as if he had been asked this question many times before.

"Names hold power, great power," He said emphatically. "I am known by many names but you can call me the Gatekeeper."

"Gatekeeper?" I asked sarcastically. "Like that dude from the movie called Thor?"

"Is that one of your questions?" The man asked with an arched eyebrow. "You can't ask ad infinitum."

I just rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Never mind," The Gatekeeper, if that's what he was, sighed. "In a way, I suppose you could say that I am like that guardian from your people's film. But I am far more powerful and do not bend knee to anyone. Indeed, my domain stretches across the universe for I guard portals to many worlds – both good and evil. However, one of those portals has been tinkered with and now the very laws of nature are starting to unravel."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I said, putting down my plate. "Portals? Tinkered with? Do you speak English here?"

The man took a deep breath. "I knew it would be such with you unbelieving Outworlders. At first I thought you were different by what I witnessed at the battle but no. You are all the same, curse you! For whether you like it or not, a highly advance being has been corrupted by some infernal darkness and seeks to control the portals for a reason that is lost to me.

"He wishes to take over my authority. However, I am far too powerful for him to contend with in a man-to-man confrontation. Therefore, he is now launching assaults on many different realms across the universe to weaken my control. If he can utterly destroy a large number of realms, then my power will diminish and he will have no resistance to usurp my position."

"Nice story and all," I interjected, suppressing my interest. "But if you are so powerful as you claim why not just step in yourself and show who's boss? Surely you would be able to beat this bastard back to the gutter he came from if you are as strong as you claim to be!"

"Good question," The Gatekeeper replied, nodding with obvious reluctance. "Now, I could give you a million different believable and logically-sound excuses or I could simply brainwash you into believing me." (I gulped here, feeling all the more insignificant by the minute) "The answer to that is as follows. Why don't I brainwash you? Simple: Certain things will always trigger memories causing you to become distrustful of me and others you might work with resulting in you to doubt me completely.

"You will believe that good is bad and bad is good. You will think that I betrayed you and will fight against me which is exactly what the Dark One wants. Therefore, I will simply tell you what you need to do and not bother with a bunch of nonsense explanations. Then, in turn, you can decide if you want to do it. If not, I will send you back to your boring home and greedy, selfish family where you will forget all that happened here and will feel like a piece of you is missing. You will never be able to fill that gapping hole, but at least you will have avoided much blood, sweat, and tears.

"Sound good?"

I gulped and nodded when the Gatekeeper finally stopped with a satisfied look on his face as if he was proud of himself for delivering such a long and epic speech. I took a minute to decide and then shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, I'm stuck here whether I like it or not," I said. "So I might as well make the best of it. I really don't like my life but you probably influenced that as a part of your conspiracy to get me to want to work for you and blah, blah, blah. Basically, I'll help you but only because I'm a fan of _Ranger's Apprentice_ and that world is obviously at stake if what you say is true. So, please, by all means do continue."

The Gatekeeper flashed me a grin and said, "I knew you'd come around!"

Then he took a deep breath and suddenly seemed far more weary and old like he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Listen carefully, Tyler Owens," He said grimly. "For this is what you must do..."

So saying, he launched into another speech for the next good while about my newfound quest and how I had to save the world. When he was done, my mind was reeling from all this knowledge and all that I had to do. It was simply impossible! As if sensing my feelings, the Gatekeeper smiled sympathetically and patted my shoulder.

"It is a tough job to be sure," He said. "But you are the only one who has the guts to see it through. Trust me, if you do everything as I say so; then you shall succeed. I have faith in you. Will you take up this quest?"

I thought for what seemed like the longest time. Finally, I made up my mind and nodded.

"Yes, Gatekeeper," I said, feeling oddly at peace as if I had just written out my Will. "I will carry out this quest to the best of my ability. I don't know if I'll do everything you said exactly in the correct order, but I will try my best come what may. Come hell or high water, I'll strive to save Araluen and everyone else even if it's the last thing I'll do."

The Gatekeeper grinned and chuckled. Suddenly, my vision blurred and I thought I felt him ruffle my hair and say something in gratitude to me. But all that happened next was lost as he grew and stretched. I gapped at him in surprise while he expanded to the size of a giant right before my very eyes.

All around me was as bright as the sun but it didn't hurt for some reason, and I could only watch – frozen in awe and wonder – as he grew bigger and bigger. Time seemed to slow until I was surrounded by a warm and glorious light. Then there was a terrific clap of thunder and he burst apart into nothingness, as if he had grown to big, and the world exploded in a flash of brilliant light.

Everything was so large and massive for a moment that my eyes stung with the brilliance of it, but then the world around me shrunk to normal and I found myself lying on a king-sized bed surrounded by four stone walls, a stone floor and ceiling. I was staring out a small, arched window into the sparkling sunset outside. And even though the room was dark and quiet, it felt like I was bathed in sunlight making me feel all warm and sunny inside.

And, although I knew I was in for a long and perilous journey filled with darkness and danger, I somehow felt like everything would be okay – somehow!

**To Be Continued...**

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**A/N:** Well there you have it! The gods-awful delay was horribly horrendous of me and I have no excuse other than my own lethargy, a Writer's Block, and finally reading the Harry Potter Saga (and watching the movies) but even that was a short while ago. While browsing through my profile, I found this story and all my ideas came flooding back to me. Thus, I decided to continue this and hopefully chapter updates won't take as long as before. So stay tuned as more is on the way!

~ Elf Knight ~


	4. Chapter 4: Armour

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice_ in any which way.

**Author's Note:** Thanks guys, for the reviews. You all are awesome! Also, someone rightfully pointed out that the Gatekeeper seemed like the gods transforming into their true form in _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_. I know you probably won't believe this, but I can honestly say that I was not thinking of the PJO novels when I got that idea.

I had it ages ago when I posted the first chapter for it and it's been in the back of my mind ever since. Basically, the Gatekeeper was transforming into the sunset at the same time as Tyler Owens re-appeared in Araluen. You will find out where he is and why and what will happen to him in this chapter. I hope you like it!

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**Chapter 4: **Armour

(Tyler's POV)

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"So the dead will rise again or so it seems," A voice said interrupting my train of thought.

"Huh?" I yelped, caught off-guard by the unexpected statement.

I had thought I was alone in the room. However, upon a closer look I realised that I wasn't alone. No indeed! A girl, about my age maybe a few months older, sat on a wooden stool at the side of my bed. She had jet black hair, intense green eyes, and was of a petite stature. Even so, she had a fierce look about her like she could really kick ass should the need arise. Don't ask me why, but I was instantly taken with the girl. It didn't help any that she looked damn hot either!

"Um, do I know you from somewhere?" I asked, being thick-headed as ever.

The ghost of a smile touched the girl's lips and I suddenly found myself feel all warm and fuzzy as if I had made her happy for some reason. I gave myself a strong mental shake. What in the world was going on here? It was like she was a witch and I was under her spell or something. The bothersome thing was that I had only just seen her for two seconds and I was practically infatuated with her.

_Get a grip already!_ I berated myself.

But I couldn't and ruthlessly shoved the thought aside. Luckily, it was the girl who came to my rescue saving me from making a fool out of myself.

"Does something ail you, sir?" She asked, a troubled look on her face and sounding genuinely worried.

"Sir?" I repeated, now feeling thoroughly bewildered.

What in damnation was going on here?

"Yes," The girl replied as if that made perfect sense. "You must be a brave and noble knight in order to turn back the armies of the North and defeat that bastard, Mortimer."

Suddenly, the recent events flooded back to my mind and I mentally slapped myself for my stupidity. These guys were probably treating me like a celebrity already and while I hated lying, which high school nerd wouldn't want to be in the lime light just for once in his sorry excuse for a life? I certainly did!

"Ah, right," I said, feigning a yawn.

I stretched my arms, which suddenly felt weary, for added affect. The girl's cheeks flushed and I frowned until realisation dawned on me and I glanced down at my chest. To my horror, I realised I did not have a shirt on and a discrete glance under my silk sheet informed me that I did not have any pants on either.

My boxer shorts were gone too! Instead, some kind of linens were wrapped around my – ahem! – private parts to substitute for underwear. Blood rushed to my cheeks and I hastily looked away. An awkward silence passed between us until the girl broke it hesitantly, as if afraid of incurring my wrath.

"Forgive me, sir," She said cautiously. "We had to remove your loins due to the sweat and mire of battle. You were caked in grime and soot. I myself had to do the deed since you collapsed after the slaying of Mortimer. You were out cold for two weeks."

"What?" I demanded sharply. "Two weeks?"

"Aye," The girl nodded, not daring to look at me. "You fainted and we could not revive you. The best doctors in the entire kingdom, and even foreign healers, came to attend you but none could awake you from your abnormal sleep thus my comment earlier about the dead rising."

"Oh, that makes sense," I admitted, not thinking of anything else to say.

The girl squirmed in her seat as if feeling uncomfortable and I immediately felt angry at myself. I had to realise that this was a medieval environment even if the _Ranger's Apprentice_ books were slightly different from the common feudal system.

She would not be used to light conversation with a foreign dignitary, especially from someone who literally dropped out of the sky. I mean, I would have been treated like a _God_ should I have landed in a more primitive culture. Thankfully, that was not the case.

"Thank you," I said, feeling genuinely grateful. "You did a good thing and I shall not forget it."

The girl blushed and bowed, but her face seemed to bear a brighter expression.

"Your armour is there if you wish, sir," She said hastily as if she had almost forgotten. "I had it polished and cleansed by the finest cleaners available. With all due respect, I would take my leave if you have no further need of me."

"None at all," I said with a warm smile, trying to put the girl at ease.

The girl gave a week grin and stood up to leave.

"Wait," I said, remembering what I had to do. "Pray tell, what is your name? And where might I find the Grand Hall? In addition, would you be so kind as to summon Baron Arold, Ranger Halt, Ranger Gilan, Lady Pauline, Courier Alyss, and Sir Horace if he still resides here? I wish to speak with them all on a matter of supreme importance. It is urgent."

"Very well," The girl said with a curtsey. "The Great Hall is just down the passage outside your door. Turn right, walk past the fountain, and take a left at the Dining Hall. If you miss a turn, ask any servant or guard and they will tell you easily. And I shall inform those you asked for about your request and see if they will come for a meeting. I shall return in an hour's time."

I couldn't resist a dry smile at the girl's words. She had just given me a subtle hint that even though I had preformed what some might deem a miracle, I was still not in charge – by any means whatsoever – of this castle. I had overstepped my boundaries, but of course she would not presume to tell me so. This was her way of telling me and that filled me with a newfound respect.

"Thank you," I said with a curt bow of my head. "One more thing!"

The girl cocked her head inquisitively.

"You never told me your name," I explained.

An odd light flickered in the girl's eyes and I could not quite describe the emotions that passed through there. It was both hate and regret, remorse and anger.

"Call me Mara," She said simply. "For it means bitter."

So saying, she gave one last bow, spun around on her heal, and left.

I heaved a sigh and collapsed back in bed, just closing my eyes and taking a deep breath of good Araluen air. It felt so strong and vibrant, almost _alive_. It was not like our own air that was polluted to such an extent that it went black with smog. This was fresh and clean, making me feel revitalized and truly alive.

One thing puzzled me though. The girl had said that my armour had been polished and cleaned by the finest cleaners in town. The thing was – I didn't have any armour. Or did I?

A strange sensation of excitement rushed through my being, and I leapt nimbly from my bed throwing my sheet aside. I glanced across the room to where the girl pointed and my heart skipped a beat. It was not my clothes from Earth as I had thought but real, authentic armour!

My weapon-changer (as I had come to call it) sat on a small side-table next to my bed, and a fine array of sparkling armour glistened on the floor beside it. The armour was unique in every which way and made out of pale blue rings all melted together.

There was a breastplate, a shield, greaves, gauntlets, a helmet, a light suit of chainmail with a hood, a few fine tunics were folded neatly on the floor. The armour tugged at me as if beckoning me to put it on. Even stranger still was the armour's Coat of Arms and the design of the helmet.

The only visible coat of arms was displayed on the shield and breastplate, all of which were a fine ebony in colour the rest of the armour included. A white, silver stag stood proudly on the shield and breastplate but it was frozen as if in mid-flight, a look of defiance in its eyes.

It stood beneath a great oak tree that's leaves were like stars and formed an arch over the stag. The tree's roots were connected to the leaves and two miniature obelisks floated protectively on either side of the great oak. The same was on the breastplate and it was carved in intricate detail.

The helmet too was a fine piece of workmanship and looked like a dear, complete with ebony antlers and a muzzle-shaped visor. Holes were cut out for the eyes and mouth but one more thing stood out to me: It was a slightly larger eye like that of a Cyclopes and was situated in the dead centre of the helmet's forehead.

For one moment, there was a flash of light and a real eye appeared in the carving. The eye winked at me and common sense kicked in. I chuckled, a grin illuminating my features for I knew who had sent me this armour. It was the Gatekeeper and I was meant to use it to give the people something to rally about – a true hero.

No sooner had I realised what this was all about, then there was a bright flash of light and the eye vanished leaving me alone in the cold stone room. But for some reason, I didn't feel cold at all!

**To Be Continued...**

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**A/N:** Well, that's about the last filler chapter for a while. The next one will be a meeting with the characters we all know and love – most of them anyways – in which Tyler will explain what this is all about. So stay tuned as more is on the way and action is following shortly.

~ Elf Knight ~


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